


Rest

by furiosity



Series: Eternal Summer (Right out of Hand) [9]
Category: Free!
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 22:52:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2246331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/furiosity/pseuds/furiosity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto tries to be there for his friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rest

When Makoto goes downstairs to buy a drink from the vending machine outside the hotel entrance, he expects to return to an empty room. Haru's always done that -- whenever he suspects there'll be awkward questions, he tends to disappear for as long as he can. Makoto hurries to get his drink and then takes the elevator in the hotel's other wing, to avoid running into Haru.

(Disappearing just isn't the same if someone notices you leaving.)

But when he gets back to their room, Haru's still under his covers, motionless, his back turned to the door. Makoto's no detective, but he is pretty sure Haru hasn't moved at all in the past fifteen minutes. The thick, heavy drapes on the window are drawn together, letting in only a tiny sliver of busy city street

He wants to talk to Haru, to ask what he can do to help, but he knows well that if Haru wants to talk, he will. And if he doesn't, trying to get him to talk will only make him feel worse. Haru doesn't like disappointing people. That's part of the reason he hates it so much when others pin expectations on him. Haru doesn't like to talk about his feelings, either.

He thinks he hears a thunderclap in the distance and crosses the room to peer out through the drapes: sure enough, it's started to rain. Water from the sky: Haru's favourite good omen. Makoto opens the drapes so Haru can look at the rain.

"Makoto," Haru says dully as he makes his way back to the front of the room.

"What is it?" Makoto asks, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Haru gazes up at him with enough misery to destroy several small island nations. "Stay here. For a while."

Makoto smiles. "Okay."

There isn't anything like the warmth of another person's body to let you know you're alive; nothing like someone willing to share their warmth to let you know you're important. Haru knows that better than most people: he's been all alone for a long time now. Sometimes he will sit really close to Makoto, all pressed up against his side or his back, like a frightened fox cub trying to keep warm. He always does this unobtrusively and flinches away if Makoto shows that he's noticed. So _this_ means he must feel really awful.

Makoto lies down next to Haru; Haru turns so his back is flush against Makoto's side. 

(It's really the only way to do this without embracing, which would feel way too strange for both of them.)

His phone vibrates in his pocket, and Makoto fishes it out to see what Nagisa wants, as he doesn't know anyone else who'd text him this late.

It's from Rin. `Do you think Haru hates me?`

Makoto winces. He's never had second thoughts about communicating with Rin while Rin and Haru were mad at each other -- he's not sure what's different this time. The stakes are higher, maybe. Haru had all but insulted Rin's dream. He didn't intend to, of course; Haru isn't the kind of mean-spirited person who'd do that. But nobody likes hearing that their dreams aren't good enough to be shared.

(Rin's learned to put on a tough act, but Makoto remembers well the little boy who wanted to stuff the whole world into his heart and cried whenever he lost at anything.)

`He would never hate you,` he types.

`Sousuke's acting weird, too.`

Makoto wishes he could tell Rin why Yamazaki is acting strangely, but that would only make everything worse. If Rin found out now, on the eve of the relay, that his best friend has hidden something so important from him, he might not recover in time to swim his very best.

`Everyone's a little bit on edge -- the regionals are a big deal, after all. ^_^`

Makoto once again wonders how ethical it is for him and Haru to keep Yamazaki's injury a secret. They are Rin's friends, not Yamazaki's. Doesn't he -- the captain of Samezuka -- deserve to know? But Yamazaki has been swimming just fine, so maybe his injury has fully healed, so talking about it would only cause Rin pain. Either way, now is _not_ the time.

(He feels especially bad because he and Haru are keeping each other warm, and Rin's alone.)

`I bet you think I'm being a big baby, upset because things aren't going how I imagined.`

Makoto smiles at the screen. `I don't think you're being childish at all, Rin. It's probably the last chance for all of us to swim together like this. I hoped it would be perfect, too.`

`Do you mean that?`

`Of course.`

"Who are you talking to this late?" Haru asks.

Makoto winces a bit. "Rin."

"Oh."

Makoto knows Haru well enough to practically feel the waves of intense curiosity coming off him. If they were real waves, they'd be a dark, dark blue, cold as a winter ocean at midnight. But for all that Haru's curious, he won't ask. Makoto knows that, too.

"Will you tell him I'm sorry for yelling?"

Makoto sighs. "I think that's something you ought to tell him yourself." _And I think Rin cares about what you said more than he cares about how you said it._

Haru doesn't say anything.

Makoto's phone is dark and silent, too -- Rin must have turned in or found something else to do.

Slowly, Makoto's mind starts to drift from Haru and Rin to his own worries -- lately, he's been so busy with school and practice and his friends' antics that he's barely had time to think about himself and what he wants to to. What he's going to do.

(The truth is he has a dream of his very own.)

"We'll win the relay," Haru murmurs, catching Makoto just before he starts to doze.

Makoto grins, relieved: Haru thinking about winning means he's feeling better already. "Can I go back to my own bed now? I'm kind of sleepy."

"Okay."

"Good night, Haru."

"Yeah."

[end]


End file.
